All,

as I wrote in my precedent post, in the same time that Microsoft will release Windows 7 as well it will release Windows 2008 R2, but from Ward Ralston, Group Product Manager of Windows Server Marketing we notice that Windows Server 2008 R2  RTM code is on track to be available to all partners sometime in July. Windows Server 2008 R2 will also be broadly available about the same time as the Windows 7 GA date of Oct 22.

 

Download and start testing with the RC candidate ht link below:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver

 

cheers

Alex

 

Two documents providing some details about Windows Server 2008 R2 have been posted on the microsoft.com website. These documents provide some insight into this upcoming release of Windows Server. A pre-release version was also shared with partners and customers during a few recent public conferences (including the PDC 2008 and WinHEC 2008).

 

Below some information about these documentation:

 

Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2

 

Document outline:

 

·         Powerful Hardware and Scaling Features

 

·         Reduced Power Consumption

 

·         Hyper-V™ in Windows Server 2008 R2

 

·         Increased Desktop Management Efficiencies

 

·         Easier and More Efficient Server Management

 

·         PowerShell 2.0

 

·         Ubiquitous Remote Access

 

·         Improved Branch Office Performance and Management

 

·         Improved Compliance with Established Best Practices

 

·         The Strongest Web and Application Server To Date

 

Download document from:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/1/f2146213-4ac0-4c50-b69a-12428ff0b077/Top_10_Reasons_to_Upgrade_to_WS08R2.doc

 

 

Top 10 IT Pro Tasks Made Easier by Windows Server 2008 R2

 

Document outline:

 

·         Migrating VMs Without Service Interruption

 

·         Branch File Access Performance Up; WAN Costs Down

 

·         Self-adjusting Server and Data Center Power Management

 

·         Remote Server Management

 

·         Squeeze the Most From Your Hardware

 

·         Do Better At Managing Virtual Data Centers

 

·         Create Customized and Automated Management Tools

 

·         Use Virtualization to Ease Desktop Management

 

·         Broaden Remote Access Adoption While Making it Easier to Manage

 

·         Take Your Web and Application Serving To The Next Level

 

Download document from:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/1/f2146213-4ac0-4c50-b69a-12428ff0b077/Top_10_IT_Pro_Tasks_Made_Easier_By_WS08R2.doc

 

There are third document, this is review guides published by Microsoft about Windows Server 2008 R2 that you can refer to my precedent post Here...

 

 

 Hi all,

 

 at the link below is possible to view a video featured on Tech·Ed in Barcellona about new version of Microsoft Server Operating System;

 

This session will provide you an overview of the new technologies in Windows Server 2008 R2. They have discussed new Management Technologies, Virtualization Enhancements, Scalability features and enabling the remote workforce.

 

View Video Here…

 

For Microsoft TechEd On line (for developers and IT Pro) click here

 

cheers

 

Alex

 

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 will be the next version of the Windows Server operating system from Microsoft. Building on the features and capabilities of the current Windows Server 2008 release version, Windows Server 2008 R2 allows you to create solutions organization that are easier to plan, deploy, and manage than previous versions of Windows Server.

 

 

Building upon the increased security, reliability, and performance provided by Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003 R2 extends connectivity and control to local and remote resources. This means your organizations can benefit from reduced costs and increased efficiencies gained through enhanced management and control over resources across the enterprise.

 

 

Here you can download the documents “Windows_Server_2008_R2_Reviewers_Guide_(BETA)” released from Microsoft...

From PDC 2008 arrive news on Windows Server 2008 r2, the next version of Microsoft server operating system. Let's See what are the interesting things that have been revealed:

 

 

Note: Windows Server 2008 R2 will be only 64Bit.

 

 

·         Virtualization:

 

 

 

 

• Live Migration

   

• Clustered Shared Volumes

   

• RemoteApp and Desktop Connection (RAD

   

• Terminal Services Broker

   

• Protocollo RDP

   

• Interoperabilità con Windows Azure

   

• Management:

   

• Un nuovo insieme di management console per la gestione dei diversi ruoli server

   

• PowerShell v. 2

   

• A new console for AD

   

• An extension of  Group Policy

   

•  

• Web: update of IIS7

   

  • Native management  via PowerShell

     

  • Extension will be available with IIS.NET

     

  • New reporting  options

     

  • Improved support for  Silverlight and PHP

     

 

 

• Direct Access

   

For more information pleases go to following links:

  Blog of team developer of Windows Server

 Official Site of Windows Server 2008 R2

 

This topic is necessary when you decide to redesign or plan a new naming convention in your domain for example, and the procedure is very different to rename a standalone server in the domain.

 

 

 

Many thanks to Daniel Petri that have write this article with the reference to rename Windows 2003 DC too.

 

 

 

This question has attracted my eyes a few times on different forums, so I decided to write an article about it. Choosing the right name for your servers is one of the steps that should be taken into account when designing a new network, or when deploying new servers. You should be totally aware of the names that you will assign each one of the new servers, and take naming conventions into consideration when designing a new network or a network expansion. However, in some cases, a simple typo or human error might cause the new server to get the wrong name. While easy to fix on regular servers, Domain Controllers should be renamed by using a different method.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The procedure of renaming a regular server (Windows 2000/2003/2008) is quite simple. It is done through the My Computer properties, and usually requires one reboot.

 

 

 

However, DCs should be renamed by using a totally different approach.

 

 

 

Note: This article focuses on Windows Server 2008 Domain Controller renaming. Although similar to the procedure done in Windows Server 2003 Domain Controllers, I would suggest that you please see the article titled "How can I rename my Windows 2003 Domain Controllers?". Also note that only Windows Server 2003 Domain Controllers can be renamed.

 

 

 

Another Note: Domain Controllers running Microsoft's Certificate Authority services (CA) can never be renamed.

 

 

 

Lamer Note: This is NOT the same as renaming your entire domain! For that, please use the RENDOM utility that is (now) a part of the Active Directory - Directory Services installed files.

 

 

 

The command

 

 

 

In order to rename a DC you will need the NETDOM command. In Windows Server 2008, this is part of the operating system, and not a separate download as in previous versions. By using the NETDOM command, you ensure that there is little or no disturbance for the domain and client operations.

 

 

 

Renaming a domain controller requires that you first provide a FQDN as a new computer name for the domain controller. All of the computer accounts for the domain controller must contain the updated SPN attribute and all the authoritative DNS servers for the domain name must contain the host (A) resource record for the new computer name. Both the old and new computer names are maintained until you remove the old computer name. This ensures that there will be no interruption in the ability of clients to locate or authenticate to the renamed domain controller, except when the domain controller is restarted.

 

 

 

Important: To rename a domain controller using the NETDOM command, the domain functional level must be set to at least Windows Server 2003.

 

 

 

The bad news: As usual, you will need to reboot the renamed DC.

 

 

 

The good news: You don't have to sit near the DC you're renaming. You can accomplish it from any computer that has the NETDOM command, and if you have the appropriate user credentials.

 

 

 

Permissions

 

 

 

You must be a member of the Domain Admins group.

 

 

 

To rename a DC with the name from KUKU-SERVER in the PETRI.LOCAL domain to DC-SERVER follow the next steps:

 

 

 

1. Open Command Prompt and type:

 

 

 

NETDOM computername KUKU-SERVER.PETRI.LOCAL /add:DC-SERVER.PETRI.LOCAL

 

 

 

This command will update the service principal name (SPN) attributes in Active Directory for this computer account, and register DNS resource records for the new computer name. The SPN value of the computer account must be replicated to all DCs for the domain, and the DNS resource records for the new computer name must be distributed to all the authoritative DNS servers for the domain name. If the updates and registrations have not occurred prior to removing the old computer name, then some clients may be unable to locate this computer using the new or old name. Therefore, it's very important to wait till the Active Directory replication finishes a replication cycle. You can check that by using tools such as REPADMIN and REPLMON.

 

 

 

You can verify the new name was indeed added to the computer object by viewing it through ADSIEDIT.MSC (which, for Windows Server 2008, is installed by default). Navigate to the computer object and right-click it. Select Properties:

 

 

 

Scroll down in the list of available attributes till you reach the attribute called msDS-AdditionalDnsHostName.

 

 

 

2. Ensure the computer account updates and DNS registrations are completed, then type:

 

 

 

NETDOM computername KUKU-SERVER.PETRI.LOCAL /makeprimary:DC-SERVER.PETRI.LOCAL

 

 

 

Again, you can inspect the change with ADSIEDIT.MSC. Scroll down in the list of available attributes for the computer object (notice how the server now appears with the new name) till you reach the attribute called msDS-AdditionalDnsHostName.

 

 

 

Notice that the old name should appear in the attribute's properties.

 

 

 

3. Restart the computer.

 

 

 

4. From the command prompt, type:

 

 

 

NETDOM computername DC-SERVER.PETRI.LOCAL /remove:KUKU-SERVER.PETRI.LOCAL

 

 

 

5. Make sure that the changes have successfully been replicated to all the DCs.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

 

In this article, I have explained how to use the NETDOM command to rename Windows Server 2008 Domain Controllers. To see how this is accomplished in Windows Server 2003 Domain Controllers, see my article "How can I rename my Windows 2003 Domain Controllers?"

 

 

 

Introduction

 

GPO allows administrators to manage registry-based policy settings, below overview about Windows Server 2008 works with Administrative template.

Administrative template files in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista are divided into ADMX (language-neutral) and ADML (language-specific) files. ADML files are XML-based ADM language files that are stored in a language-specific folder. By default, the %Systemroot%PolicyDefinitions folder on a local computer stores all ADMX files, and ADML files for all languages that are enabled on the computer.

 

Download from source…

 

Additional Information

 

There is a post on my Blog that introduce about convert ADM files (Windows 2000 and 2003 Template) to the ADMX format and take advantage of the additional capabilities that it provides for Windows Vista e Windows Server 2008

 

http://blog.caloni.net/tag/migrator

 

The Hyper-V role enables you to create a virtualized server computing environment using a technology that is part of the Windows Server® 2008 operating system.

 

The Failover Clustering feature enables you to create and manage failover clusters. A failover cluster is a group of independent computers that work together to increase the availability of applications and services. The clustered servers (called nodes) are connected by physical cables and by software. If one of the cluster nodes fails, another node begins to provide service (a process known as failover). Users experience a minimum of disruptions in service.

 

This Microsoft’s guide shows you how to use these two technologies together to make a virtual machine highly available. You will do this by creating a simple two-node cluster and a virtual machine, and then failing over the virtual machine from one node to the other.

Download Document HERE....